HISD chief likes what he sees in Apollo schools' scores

Grier likes what he sees in Apollo scoresEven though eighth-grade results on state tests were mixed, HISD chief says reforms are "off to a good start"

ERICKA MELLON, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Published 5:30 am, Friday, April 29, 2011

State test scores released Thursday show mixed progress at the five middle schools in Houston ISD's reform experiment, giving a snapshot of how the Apollo program influenced student performance in its first year.

Superintendent Terry Grier, who spearheaded the reform program, said he was pleased with the initial results — even though some scores declined - but wouldn't hesitate to make personnel changes at schools that fall short.

"We think we're off to a good start," Grier said.

Grier and Roland Fryer, the Harvard University researcher assisting the Houston Independent School District with the Apollo project, cautioned against making sweeping conclusions about the early scores because they only reflect the performance of the eighth-grade class. The results from other grade levels haven't been returned yet.

The Apollo program also includes four high schools. The project, which Grier has billed as a three-year experiment to try to turn around under-performing schools, started with a staff overhaul, replacing the principals and many teachers.

Students at the Apollo campuses are in class about an hour longer each day, and the schools hold Saturday tutorials. The schools also started a week early, though attendance was low. Sixth- and ninth-graders get daily math tutoring, while those in other grades get an extra computer-based class in either math or reading.

Progress, not victory

The program is costing $24 million this year, according to the district's latest budget, and has drawn criticism from some school board members and parents for the expense and its special focus on about 7,000 of the district's 202,000 students.

For the Apollo middle schools, judging their performance so far depends on how the data are sliced.

The schools appear to be improving more than the district average when comparing how the eighth-graders scored this year and how they performed last year as seventh-graders.

The scores come from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test taken by students this spring. In reading, the passing rate for the eighth-graders in the Apollo schools jumped to 83 percent, from 70 percent when they were seventh-graders. In math, the passing rate improved from 61 percent to 69 percent.

More data analysis

Grier said he wants to see the TAKS scores after the eighth-graders who failed the exam on their first try take it again later this year.

Noting that resources are limited, he also pointed out that the eighth-graders don't get the small-group tutoring that the sixth-graders receive.

But comparing the scores of the eighth-grade Apollo students this year to the eighth-grade class in the same schools last year reveals a worse picture. In that case, three of the five Apollo middle schools saw their scores fall in at least one subject.

Key Middle School posted the biggest gains. In math, 51 percent of eighth-graders passed the TAKS, compared with 27 percent of eighth-graders last year. In reading, the passing rate improved 11 points to 74 percent.

Key Middle School posted the biggest gains. In math, 51 percent of eighth-graders passed the TAKS, compared with 27 percent of eighth-graders last year. In reading, the passing rate improved 11 points to 74 percent.

Fryer, who runs the Educational Innovation Laboratory at Harvard, said he can't judge the Apollo program without digging deeper into the student-level data. But he speculated that Key saw the largest gains because the principal was hired early and had the summer to hire staff and plan, while the scores also had more room for growth.

The overall test results from Key in 2009 were much higher, but the Texas Education Agency found strong evidence of cheating.

Fondren Middle School, which had the highest scores of the Apollo campuses last year, saw its passing rate drop 6 percentage points in both subjects.

Changing the culture

At the other Apollo middle schools, Ryan improved in math and declined in reading; Dowling grew one point in both subjects; and Attucks stayed flat in reading, while the math passing rate fell from 64 percent to 54 percent.

HISD board president Paula Harris, who represents Attucks, noted that the principal there was hired late and didn't have a chance to assemble her staff, which includes many beginning teachers. She said she is focused on whether the schools are holding students to higher expectations.

"People change the culture, not a program," she said.

Across HISD, the passing rate for all eighth-graders on the reading TAKS declined a point to 86 percent. The passing rate on math increased three points to 77 percent.

Fifth-grade passing scores, which also were released, increased three points in reading and one point in math.

In both grades, the percentage of students scoring at a higher than passing level improved in both subjects.

HISD announced the scores at a news conference Thursday, refusing to release the data upon request earlier in the week.

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